A is for Adoption (yay!)

Kelly poses after a haircut

I've decided to give myself a little challenge for the new year, and blog about something for each letter of the alphabet, one each day. So without further ado, I'll start at the very beginning...a very good place to start...

A is for adoption.

Remember that scene from Modern Family where Cam and Mitchell clapped and said "Yay!" every time they said the word "adoption," because they wanted Lily to form a positive association with the word? Well that's the way it should be with pet adoption too! Pet adoption (yay!) is positive for so many reasons, because it can save lives of homeless and unwanted animals. But it's strange to me that not-all-that- many years ago, I never even considered adoption (yay!)

When I was growing up, our dogs were strays, or given to us by friends whose dogs ran loose and had puppies that needed homes. Later, my husband and I bought our first dog, a dalmatian, at a bargain price from a backyard breeder. Fortunately Schuyler was wonderfully healthy and had a calm, gentle disposition. He was a pampered only dog, earned his CD in obedience, and became a nurturing big brother to his two human siblings.

Hudson

When it was time for our next dog, I still knew nothing about adopting (yay!). And I couldn't help but wonder why. Surely there were humane societies then, and good people fostering dogs, but I knew nothing of that world. We found a yellow lab through an ad in the newspaper. Again, Hudson was a wonderful member of the family and I wouldn't have traded him for anything. But I know I would have wanted to save a homeless dog, if I'd only been more aware.

Nearly ten years ago, we added another dog to the family. This time, computers were a part of our lives. And I finally figured out, for me, that is what made the difference. Now I had access to a myriad of thoughts and opinions, advertising and websites. And when it came time to find our new dog, Petfinder was a household name, and we searched there without a second thought. And, luckily for us all, we found an adorable 1 year old spaniel-mix, and Kelly was adopted. (Yay!)

Today I read about pet adoption (yay!) everywhere. Animal advocates are spreading the word. All of my friends have either purchased their dog from a responsible breeder (I'll add a yay for this too! I've shared my home with purebred dogs from breeders and I don't think anyone who goes this route should feel guilty for not adopting. There are many good reasons to get a dog from a reputable breeder too!) or adopted (yay!) their pet. So more and more homeless dogs are finding good forever homes. And there's only one thing I can say to that.

YAY!